This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Irreversible Coma and Hemolytic Anemia Following Inhalation

William T. Shults, MD; Edmund N. Fountain, MD; Edward C. Lynch, MD

JAMA. 1970;211(13):2153-2154.

Abstract
A 53-year-old man was hospitalized because of coma appearing shortly after exposure to methanethiol. Acute, severe hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia developed: both were brief in duration. The likely mechanism of the hemolysis was an oxidant effect of methanethiol in a person deficient in erythrocytic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD). Deep coma persisted until death 28 days after exposure to the chemical agent.

Author Affiliations
From the departments of neurological surgery and medicine, Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to 6516 Bertner, Houston 77025 (Dr. Lynch).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?